The Richmond Free Press newspaper yesterday published an article on the doomed ‘Navy Hill’ project, in which it also confirmed what 5th district residents have already been hearing- ‘business leaders’ who live in the surrounding counties are putting pressure on our City Councilperson though her employer. That’s not just inappropriate, it’s deliberately attempting to subvert democracy. It’s VILE, DISHONORABLE, AND DISGUSTING.

It’s great to see the community-oriented Richmond Free Press buck the system and make this particular story known, but more has to be done to dig this scum out. Earlier this week, we saw more corporate media, notably the Times Disgrace newspaper, run articles that not so subtly conveyed ridiculous threats- that if ‘Navy Hill’ does not happen, sick children would suffer and jobs would be lost and it would all be City Council and ‘activists” fault. Never mind that Richmond schools would again lose or that VCU Medical as a massive nonprofit hospital is not exactly penniless, or that Richmond citizens are under NO obligation to provide sweetheart deals to any corporation and we don’t have to give up more real estate to VCU’s empire.

Now, sadly, this is nothing new for Richmond. Citizens have heard many other tales of infamous arm twisting of decision makers by ‘business leaders’ who want to coerce government. And this sort of thing is happening at every level, from City Council and City department, to Urban Design Committee to even neighborhood association.

It’s part of Richmond’s dirty secret- that while there are good opportunities here with amazing natural and historic resources and Southern charm, the civic scene is one of oppression. Yes, the United States has become a country increasingly under the undue influence of corporations in commerce, society, and government, but Richmond’s top-down, almost aristocratic, corporate rule is overwhelming.

It has been for a long time a deep corruption where public concerns and priorities are thrown aside for corporate ones. Decade after decade, Richmond citizens have seen this again and again in everything from arts, to parks, from riverfront planning to even down to our water utility payments.

It should be made immediately clear that what happened to Councilperson Lynch reflects poorly on ALL of Navy Hill’s backers- Venture Richmond (previously known as Richmond Renaissance), RVA Chamber of Commerce, Retail Merchants, VCU administration, and, of course, the monopoly that controls our State Capital, Dominion. The public should hold them all in contempt until there are sincere apologies.

What should citizens do?

Of course, they should shame these people and groups’ DISHONORABLE AND DISGUSTING arm twisting tactics for this, and previous transgressions.

Last week, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, having heard these allegations, immediately voted at its January meeting to oppose the Navy Hill Dominion-VCU coliseum scheme in its current form. Other civic guards should do the same- reject the Navy Hill scheme WITH PREJUDICE and STAND BY AND SUPPORT our PUBLIC officials, at least the ones are honest and have not given in to the corporate slime.

Furthermore, citizens should look to reform measures- not only ones that promote transparency, but ones that beat back corporate influence altogether. On the local level, consider that the City of Charlottesville joined localities all across the nation and passed a resolution in support of the Move To Amend movement, which would overturn the Supreme Court’s terrible Citizens’ United decision and establish that corporations are not people and money is not speech. Why not the City of Richmond? Why not for both the federal AND state constitutions?

Speaking of state, support HB111 in the General Assembly. Let’s take this City and state back from Dominion control!

In the wake of the public exposure of the corporate hegemony, now’s not the time to go on with business as usual, but to revolt and demand better. If RVA is truly going to live up to its potential, we need to throw the corporate welfare mavens out for good!

Well, it’s been four long years…and, sadly, here we are again…and again, I insert the disclaimer that I do not portend to represent ALL of Oregon Hill residents’ opinion on anything (unless, perhaps, when I am wearing my crown)…

Many Oregon Hill residents, and citizens in general, are pinning hopes on the Senator from Vermont in his renewed run for President. While I truly like Bernie’s story and many of his stances (but not all of them), the reality is that the Democratic National Committee will never, ever allow him their nomination. They don’t want anyone who will rock their corporate sponsors’ boats, go anti-war, or sincerely promote the idea of single payer health care for the United States. They will dishonesty smear one way or another, cheat (again) one way or another, or worse to prevent him from receiving the nomination.

For his part, Sanders has promised to support whoever does receive the Democratic nomination. Harnessing fear and the noise of the ‘But Trump’-ets’, the Democrats will undoubtedly select someone who is very similar to their last Presidential candidate (note that Clinton has been meeting with Warren already), coming dangerously close to the 2016 strategy (but hopefully not repeating the previous, disgusting mistake of elevating Trump’s racism).

I repeat my friendly wager/challenge- I hereby announce that if Senator Bernie Sanders does become the Democratic Party’s nominee for President, I, Scott Burger, promise to crawl on my belly south from Idlewood Avenue down to the James River. (In the unlikely circumstance that I lose this bet, I will concede my loss on a date of my choosing, and upon losing, and I will fulfill my promise to do this crawl on a time and date of my choosing.)

So, if you want to help Bernie or would enjoy seeing me punished and brought low for my political thoughts, I urge you to vote in the Democratic Primary on March 3rd and see if you can help prove me wrong. Will any ‘Bernie bros’ (or gals) dare to bet against me- pledge to do the belly crawl if I am right and he does not receive the nomination? (By the way, I am certainly not alone in this crude speculation and if you would like to bet real money, there are already websites that will cater to this.)

The sequel to my 2016 challenge with the same thoughts- as with some other bets, I sincerely hope I am wrong. This country needs a big change in direction- it needs the left wing populism represented by Sanders as an antidote to the right wing populism unleashed by the Conman-In-Chief, Donald Trump.

With Virginia’s electoral votes likely going to the blue team again, I am personally planning to continue my Green Party streak. But if I am sadly correct about the situation, the real question is what will Sanders supporters do when he is no longer in the race. With electoral reform still far off, I am not optimistic about the country’s direction, even if Trump is defeated.

“Pledge Key”by CreditDebitPro is licensed under CC BY 2.0

In response to an earlier post, City Council candidates Mamie Taylor, Stephanie Lynch, Thad Williamson, and Nick Da Silva submitted written pledges to defend the neighborhood. Candidates Jer’Mykeal McCoy, Robin Mines, and Chuck Richardson did not submit anything to my knowledge. The submitted pledges can be read below, in the order that they were received.

Note that neither candidate for State Senate, Ghazala Hashmi or incumbent Glen Sturtevant have submitted written pledges. Given the close race, it’s surprising that neither of them submitted a written pledge, though both of their campaigns were contacted about the post.

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From City Council candidate Mamie Taylor:

“Greetings Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association.

Official Pledge:

I, Mamie Taylor, do hereby pledge to defend the Oregon Hill neighborhood from more VCU disrespect and encroachment, to recognize the demands already made to Richmond 300 and the City of Richmond’s Planning Commission, and to do everything in my power to get VCU to make a written Memorandum of Understanding (MOU or commitment) to Oregon Hill; including, but not limited to requesting a meeting with VCU Board of Visitors.”

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From City Council candidate Stephanie Lynch:

“I absolutely pledge to defend the Oregon Hill Community from inappropriate encroachment from surrounding entities like VCU. One of my top priorities will be to work with Oregon Hill residents and the administration at VCU to enter into a longer term agreement regarding future development that is respectful of the needs and wishes of Oregon Hill residents. As a two time VCU grad, I understand all that VCU brings to the Richmond Community, but I also have close ties to Oregon Hill and I recognize that VCU could be a better neighbor to the Oregon Hill neighborhood and its residents. I think it’s imperative that before we approve future expansion plans from VCU, we work with them to enter into MOUs with surrounding communities like Oregon Hill. I additionally support the requests laid out in the OHNA’s written submissions to the Planning Commission and the RVA 300 planning committee. I’m looking forward to working with everyone in Oregon Hill to make sure that the neighborhood is protected and kept intact, housing needs are met, and the neighborhood character is preserved.”

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From City Council candidate Thad Williamson:

“Pledge
I am a candidate to represent the 5th District on Richmond City Council. I pledge to do everything in my power to get VCU to agree to a written MOU to Oregon Hill to assure no further encroachment of VCU into the neighborhood as well as to assure VCU treats this historic neighborhood with the respect it deserves. I also pledge to support assuring the final version of the Richmond 300 plan designates Oregon Hill as a single-family (medium density) housing zone apart from a commercial corridor designation on Cary Street, as well as other specific recommendations made by OHNA in correspondence with Richmond 300 and the Planning Commission. This includes steps up to requesting a meeting with the VCU Board of Visitors.

Additional Thoughts
I strongly believe that the City of Richmond should negotiate a comprehensive MOU across a range of issues with Virginia Commonwealth University. The growth of the City and of the university means we must move far beyond the days in which the City regularly deferred to VCU’s plans and wishes. Future growth and development must be carefully planned so as to protect historic neighborhoods, and numerous current issues need to be addressed. VCU property is non-taxable; in lieu of taxes, it should commit to a comprehensive agreement with the City of Richmond covering limits on future development, student behavior in residential neighborhoods, as well as providing pipelines to employment at VCU and VCU Health Systems for Richmond residents.
This approach focuses first on building a reciprocal partnership between the City of Richmond and VCU. But as in any bargaining situation, leverage must be brought to be bear to get the parties to the table and to commit to fair negotiations. This implies a threefold strategy: first, a majority of City Council and the Mayor must be unified in making a clear demand on VCU; second, the City should work with allies in state government to apply pressure to VCU to cooperate; and third, neighborhood organizations such as OHNA must reserve and periodically use the right to engage in direct pressure and direct action to protect threatened neighborhood interests.
A comprehensive agreement between the City and VCU covering a wide range of issues is a reasonable medium-term goal. But short-term steps should be taken as well. I believe as a general matter political strategy should proceed from the “olive branch” stage—simple steps such as inviting VCU’s president, cabinet, and board members to take walking tours of Oregon Hill—to the adversarial stage step-by-step, as needed. As a process this generally looks like a) approaching the other party in good faith b) give them an opportunity to meet a clear request c) should they refuse or fail to deliver the goods, document this carefully and register appropriate petition or complaint; d) inform the public of this inaction and build greater public support and pressure for action; e) escalate tactics and demands over time.
If elected as 5th District Council representative, I will want to learn more in chapter-and-verse detail about the complete history of past interactions between Oregon Hill and VCU so I can understand fully what has been tried, before committing to specific tactical ideas on how to move forward. Has VCU leadership been invited to a community meeting with OHNA residents to hear grievances or have open dialogue, and if so how recently? What efforts have already been made to educate VCU students living in the neighborhood on proper behavior living in an urban neighborhood?
I also will work to build a broader coalition within City Council in support of both neighborhood-specific issues and getting VCU to commit to non-encroachment MOU and a comprehensive agreement between the City and VCU as described above. One Council member in one district is not sufficient leverage to contain an institutions as powerful as VCU. That’s why a strategy of broadening the agenda for engaging with VCU could build a broader base of support than a strategy focused only on one neighborhood.
I recognize I have much to learn about the nuances and details of the dynamics between Oregon Hill and VCU. But I regard the demands laid out in the pledge as reasonable, and believe we need to protect, preserve and improve our historic neighborhoods. Oregon Hill should be regarded as a treasure and a model urban, walkable residential environment, not terrain for the expansion of VCU or of downtown.”

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From City Council candidate Nick Da Silva:

“Dear Residents of Oregon Hill,

As a recent Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, I am no stranger to standing up to the VCU administration and their expansionist agenda. I have protested, lobbied, and organized against VCU policies to protect students from tuition hikes, to stop the use of furniture produced by slave labor in state prisons, and to amplify the voices of those impacted by VCU’s actions.

Oregon Hill, like the adjacent communities to VCU’s Monroe Campus, is in the sights of the University. Capital gain has long been the primary motive of the school’s board, not students or faculty. On and off City Council I will continue to be a voice and a vote against VCU expansion and the seizing of communities through gentrifying developers.

Unlike other candidates in this race, I am not taking money from private developers– the same developers who have worked to gentrify and redevelop Carytown and The Fan. I stand in solidarity with the working class of Oregon Hill in pushing back against efforts to capture the neighborhood for shareholders and corporations.

We support and will fight alongside the residents of Oregon Hill in demanding a Memorandum of Understanding with the neighborhood limiting expansion. Additionally, I will support changes to the Richmond 300 plan to retain the character of the Oregon Hill neighborhood. I will work to preserve the skyline of the neighborhood while fighting to bring relief for working-class residents against private developers looking to gentrify the area.

On City Council, I will work to limit VCU’s land seizures. All property owned by the University hurts both the community, as residents are displaced, and the city, as land cannot be taxed since it’s now a state asset.

Fighting for us,

Nicholas Da Silva”

If you are a candidate for political office (state or City), please submit via official campaign email to info@oregonhill.net a pledge to defend the neighborhood from more VCU disrespect and encroachment, to recognize the demands already made to Richmond300 and the City of Richmond’s Planning Commission, and to do everything in your power to get VCU to make a written Memorandum of Understanding (aka MOU or commitment) to Oregon Hill, including but not limited to requesting a meeting with VCU Board of Visitors.

Extra credit: Submit your own ideas on how to defend Oregon Hill from VCU hegemony. Feel free to be creative.

These assignment will be accepted up to October 15. Late work will NOT be accepted. Grades will NOT be on a sliding scale.

By October 16, neighbors will know who NOT to vote for. We are looking for candidates who we CAN vote for.